Dead Briefs Tome 2
by Lara Kingsley
Summary: AU – After moving to Louisiana and surviving an attack by the Fangbangers killer, Sookie Stackhouse is more than ready to settle into her new life next to her vampire client/lover, Eric Northman. But when a series of events threaten the happiness they had been looking forward to, it's up to the telepathic lawyer and the Viking Vampire Sheriff to save the day.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: **

**The first chapter of Dead Briefs Tome 2 is finally ready! Thanks to the Olympics being over and trying to get in a night routine for my Night Audit training, I was finally able to finish it!**

**Speaking of the Olympics, the Sunday Men Hockey gold medal game had me quite in a dilemna. Canada VS Sweden? My homecountry VS ASkars homeland? Well, I went with patriotism and cheered for 'my' boys – especially for Team Canada's captain, the yummy Sidney Crosby. The game was broadcast live at 7AM and I was supposed to work at 8, but I must have a lucky star 'cause my shift was switch to an evening one and I was able to watch it with my parents. And what a game it was! At least on the Canadian side ;) I'll even admit to some tears being shed when the O Canada was played at the end.**

**But now, without much ado, here is what you have been waiting for: The first chapter of Tome 2!**

**Enjoy (and don't forget to review!)**

**Lara Kingsley**

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**Chapter 1**

Tara's

blood curdling screams were still ringing in my ears when the Parish coroner, Mike Spencer, took the body out of Detective Bellefleur's car. Being surrounded by so many people in such a chaotic situation made keeping my shields up even more difficult than normal. The first thoughts crossing everybody's mind at the view of the toe painted black foot dangling from the car was that it was Lafayette.

"_In what shit has that Reynolds guy got himself into..." _

"_Why? Why us again? Havin' a killer in our midst ain't enough for you, Lord?" _

Andy Bellefleur quickly sobered up the moment Sam Merlotte dropped him to the ground to check what had made Tara scream like a banshee. Calls were made to the police station while people started to desert the bar for its parking lot. It was soon discovered that the body wasn't Lafayette, but a woman. A woman that Tara, even though she denied it when asked, obviously knew.

"_Fuck... It's Miss Jeannette!" _

Tara was currently being questioned by Deputy Jones while Deputy Ellis was doing a very bad job at questioning me.

"_Don't look at her boobs... Don't look at her boobs..." _

I couldn't believe it!

"So, Miss Stackhouse... Can you tell me how you found the body?"

I sighed. "As I already told you, Deputy Ellis, I was going to give Detective Bellefleur a lift home, but he said he needed to grab some stuff from his car. When we reached it, the back passenger seat was half opened..."

"Yes... And what 'bout your whereabouts?"

"My whereabouts?"

"_God, her boobs are so big I bet if she took a deep breath the buttons would burst... I should drop my pen and let her bend to pick it up..." _

"Detective Ellis? What do you mean about my whereabouts? My whereabouts for the evening? Or my whereabouts when we found the body? For the latter I was right where Coroner Spencer is standing right now, for the former I was at my Gran's house where I had dinner with her, then next to Detective Bellefleur inside the bar."

"Well... I... Thank you, Miss Stackhouse. I... We'll contact you again if we need further information."

"Thank you, Deputy Ellis."

I made my way toward my car, stopping on my way to make sure somebody else would drop Detective Bellefleur home.

"Don't worry, Miss Sookie" said Terry Bellefleur. "I'll bring him home. Let's hope Grandma Caroline ain't awake..."

I left the scene and drove back home. Home... I would never get tired of calling Eric's Shreveport house 'home'. I once thought Boston was my home. It was where I was born, where I lived. But when my father died... I realized that our big empty brownstone wasn't home anymore. Gran once said that home was where your heart was. Well Eric definitely held my heart.

I was expecting to find Pam's pink mini-van in the driveway, but it was nowhere in sight. I made my way to the front door and absentmindedly smiled.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Nothing... Normally Eric would vamp to the door as soon as I entered the house. I dropped my purse on the side table and made my way upstairs. I could only feel one void, coming from our room. To my disappointment it was empty, but the door to the ensuite bathroom was half-opened.

"Eric, honey, are you in the bathroom?"

Still no answer. I shimmied out of my clothes and decided to join him. The sight of my Viking lounging in the large bathtub that was still too small for his impressive frame sent a spark to my spine. He was deliciously sexy, his eyes closed, a ghost of a smirk on his magnificent face.

"Hey there handsome..."

He opened his eyes and his smirk grew bigger at the view of my own nakedness.

"Good evening, Lover."

He had started to call me 'Lover' more and more, reverting to the Swedish version only when in the throw of passion.

"Want some company?"

His only answer was to extend his hand helping me into the tub. The water was still hot as I settled in, my back to his front with his hands circling my waist. I let out a moan as his lips trails down from my ear to where my neck met my shoulders.

"So I guess the lesson on feeding went pretty well if Jessica and Pam are already gone..."

"The young one is quite impressive... Her glamour is extremely strong for one so young. Too bad Compton is her Maker... But she'll make a magnificent vampire with time."

"Compton might be her Maker, but she has you and Pam..."

His large hands were now cupping my breasts, massaging them.

"And she has you too... and Adele..."

"That she does..."

Lust filled our bond as his hands mapped my body. My own hands travelled to his strong thighs, his growing erection pressing against my backside.

"How about we get out of this bath?" I said, between moans and groan. "My skin is starting to prune and while this tub is large, it is not large enough for what I intend to do to you..."

I felt his smile on my neck. "I think that's a good idea, Lover."

I let out a gasp as he vamped us out of the tub, dried us off and set me on the bed. In one swift move he was inside me, literally rocking my world. Thanks to his Vampire stamina, Eric brought me to ecstasy a good half dozen times before I dozed off completely exhausted. When I finally opened my eyes, he was lying next to me, still completely naked, working on his laptop.

"Welcome back, Lover..."

"Hey..."

I kissed him softly, before letting out a yawn.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a little under an hour. I guess my prowess were too much for you..."

I slapped his arm before kissing him once more.

"It's all your damn Vampire stamina's fault, honey. I'm just a mere human-fairy hybrid after all."

"If I remember correctly you were the one begging for more. The words 'Faster, Eric', 'Harder, Eric' and 'More, Eric' escaped your lips several times if I'm not wrong..."

"Thank you for reminding me not to stroke your gigantic ego!"

As usual our little banter turned into a heated make out session that turned into another round of screaming orgasms. Several hours later, just before dawn, we were tangled together, telling each other about our day slash evening.

"After dinner I went for a few drinks at Merlotte's, you know to see how they were dealing with Lafayette's absence. Tara and Merlotte are starting to get worried, but otherwise people don't really give a damn. Apparently he has a habit of going away for several days without telling anyone..."

"Do I need to send Pam to glamour Merlotte and this Tara?"

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, this 'Come-to-Jesus' should come to an end soon, right?"

He nodded. "We'll glamour Mr. Reynolds to forget who held him, but yes, in a couple of days he should be set free."

"Good."

I told him about the body found in the back of Detective Bellefleur's car.

"Is it Vampire related?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I didn't really snoop into the officers or the coroner's heads, but I think it wasn't related to Vampires."

"You know, you're a real trouble magnet, Lover. Before you moved in Area 5, everything was quiet and peaceful... Maybe you should move back to Boston..."

I gasped before tickling him. Yes, the powerful Viking Vampire Sheriff of Area 5 was ticklish.

"I surrender!" he begged, a huge smile on his face.

"The great Viking warrior admits defeat?"

"Only to Sookie..."

His lips were sealed to mines in a searing kiss that left me breathless.

"And what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I have to go to AIK headquarter, but after that I'll head over Bon Temps and spent some time with Gran. I will probably be back after sunset. And you? Are you going to Fangtasia tomorrow night?"

"Yes, I have to deal with some Area businesses."

I frowned. Normally, whenever Eric and Pam dealt with 'Area businesses', Jason would be the one to assist them. But with him away in Dallas, maybe I could be helpful.

"I could come with you, you know. I know that normally Jason is the one seeing to the legal side of Area businesses, but..."

He smiled. "Don't you worry your pretty head, Lover. Pam and I can handle it."

We continued chatting until dawn finally claimed Eric. I slept until nearly 10 AM before taking a long lonely shower. Getting dressed in a marine and white dress matched with a white trench-like jacket and delicate heeled sandals – thanks to my new wardrobe compliment of Pam, I was ready to head to AIK Headquarter in downtown Bossier City.

Apart from being the HQ of AIK, the building also housed Jason's offices and several of Eric and Pam's different businesses. Upon entering the bright and modern edifice – definitely not what you would expect for a Vampire business, I was escorted to the office of Desmond Cataliades. While Eric was the owner of AIK, Desmond Cataliades was the one who was really in charge of the company. The daemon, because yes, Desmond Cataliades was a daemon, had been working for Eric for years and had been a great friend of my father.

"Sookie! Such a pleasure to see you!"

I spent several hours going over several files with the help of Desmond. Corporate laws had never been my forte, but under the daemon's tutelage I quickly found my footing. After sharing a lunch with my father's old friend, I drove down to Bon Temps where I find Gran sitting on her porch, Freyja at her feet, looking quite grim.

"Why the sour look, Gran? Did someone die or..."

"Yes... I received a visit this morning. You might not remember him, but Sid Matt Lancaster was our family lawyer before Corbett finished Law School. He came by to tell me that Bartlett had died."

I'm not ashamed to say that this news didn't bring any emotion whatsoever in me.

"I'm sorry, Gran. I know that what he did is unforgivable, but he was still your brother..."

"He stopped being my brother the moment I found out about what he had done to my little girl and to her own little one and what he had planned for you. No... I'm not feeling anything regarding his death. According to Sid Matt, he had been sick for a while. In my opinion, it was his comeuppance. As a good Christian I can't rejoice in the fact that he suffered, but I can't help being glad his last years on Earth weren't easy ones. Now he has to face our Lord and pay for his crimes for Eternity."

I sighed. "So, apart from telling you he finally died, what was it that Mr. Lancaster wanted?"

She didn't give me any answer, just handed me a piece of paper. I quickly scan it. It was a copy of Bartlett's last Will and Testament. According to the document, his house in Monroe and all his saving were to be given to Hadley...

"He's giving everything to Hadley?"

She nodded. "Blood money if you asked me. A way to atone his sins."

"So, Mr. Lancaster came down in the hope that Hadley would be here? Or does he know where she is?"

She let out a sigh. "He knows as much as us... Which is not a lot."

The last we had heard from her, Hadley had skipped rehab with Gran's check book. The only thing we knew for sure was that she wasn't dead. Dad had arranged with several of his contacts throughout the South to call us whenever a Jane Doe was found dead and none of them had been Hadley.

"Do you want me to do some research? I could check public records... We never know. All we ever looked for was death certificates. She might have gotten arrested or something..."

A glimmer of hope appeared in Gran's blue eyes.

"You really would? But what about your other work?"

"Don't worry about it. Eric won't mind."

We shared a light dinner and said our goodbye just after sunset. I arrived to an empty house and a note from Eric telling me he wouldn't be back from Fangtasia until later. After getting a cup of tea, I settled in the living room and started searching Louisiana's records for any traces of Hadley Delahoussaye.

Since she had never filled out income taxes there was no known address for her. I then searched for criminal records and surprisingly she didn't have one. I was getting restless until I finally found something. A marriage certificate and a divorce decree. Apparently she had gotten married three years ago to a Remy Savoy in New Orleans and he had petitioned for divorce less than a year and a half ago. Unlike Hadley, Remy Savoy was easier to find. I wrote down his phone number and decided to call him the next day.

Throughout the evening I had felt a maelstrom of emotions coming from Eric – even though I could feel he tried hard to block the bond. But in the last couple of weeks we had become so used to feeling each other that closing it became more and more difficult. I felt disgust, amusement, anger, blood lust and finally annoyance. Feeling that his night must have been a difficult one and sensing him getting closer and closer with each passing minutes, I closed my laptop and ran upstairs to the walk-in closet.

If my Viking had a rough night, then his Fairy would do anything to make it better. Pam had surprised me a couple of days before with several boxes from Frederick's of Hollywood. Don't get me wrong, I'm the kind of girl who likes nice under things and lingerie and while I loved shopping at Victoria's Secret, La Perla and now at Agent Provocateur, having someone else buying me these – especially my boyfriend's Childe, was still new to me.

Excitement filled me as I stripped down and put on a red lacy halter-top bustier, tiny thong, garter belt and thigh high stocking. Grabbing a pair of black and red stripper shoes – probably another 'gift' from Pam, and undoing my French twist, letting my hair fall in a cascade of curls on my back, I went back to the bedroom, lounging myself on the bed foot ottoman.

My heart was racing as I heard the door opened and felt one void coming in. Thank God Jessica was staying with Pam tonight! I softly bit my lower lip when the bedroom's door opened on Eric... sporting a way shorter hairdo!

"What happened to your hair?"

Gone was all my sexiness as I got up and tentatively brought my hand to his now very short hair.

"Min alskäre..." he said, speechless.

"Eric Northman answer me right now! What happened to your hair?"

He cleared his throat. "You really want to talk about my hair when I come home to find you dressed... or should I say undressed like this? Min alskäre, if I were still human I would have a heart attack!"

"Well good thing you're a Vampire, then! Now answer me! Who chopped your hair?"

There was no way I would let him drop the subject.

"Pam did it. She's been bugging me for a while now about giving me highlights and earlier tonight she did. But I had an... accident while waiting having almost all my head wrapped in aluminum. She had to cut it. You did tell me I was in need of a haircut."

"Yes, but... It's gonna take some getting used to. I really did like your long hair, especially when I would grip it during..."

He cut me off by kissing me long and hard. My hands went to his now shorter do and I did just what I told him I like, I gripped it.

"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of being welcomed by you in such a mouth watering outfit?"

A sexy smile appeared on my lips. "I felt your change of emotion throughout the evening... I guess I wanted to make the rest of your night a little better."

"Just a little?"

I smirked. "A lot better..."

Soon the thong was ripped from my body, my breast were spilling from the bustier and I had a very turned on Viking between my thighs. He didn't even stripped and when we finally reached our peak together he was still fully dressed.

"If this is the welcome I am to expect whenever I have a bad night at work..."

"And if this is your response to such an outfit..." I let out, breathless.

His lips claimed mine as he spooned me from behind. It took me several minutes to finally calm down and catch my breath. He took this time to tell me about what had happened at Fangtasia. How they had brought Royce Williams, one of the men who had set ablaze Malcolm, Diane and Liam's nest. How the bastard had burned him with a tiny piece of silver before being dismembered swiftly – causing the mess to Pam's hair dying job leading to his new haircut.

"And what about you, Lover? How was your day?"

I told him about my afternoon with Desmond Cataliades and my early evening with Gran.

"Gran received the visit of our family's old lawyer. Her estranged brother, Bartlett, passed away."

A frown appeared on his handsome face.

"Bartlett, you said? Is he the one who abused both your aunt and cousin?"

Now it was my turn to frown. "How do you know about that?"

"Corbett... He came to see me, one summer you were visiting Louisiana. He was extremely drunk, it was the first and last time I saw him like that. He asked me to kill his uncle. I couldn't believe that my dear friend, my own lawyer, was asking me to kill someone for him. Then he told me what that monster had done to his sister and his niece... What he had planned to do to you, his little girl. I saw red. I was ready to do it, to kill that bastard. But I didn't. That wasn't my friend talking. That was his pain, his anger. So I sobered him up and told him I wouldn't do it. I told him that killing Bartlett would only shorten his punishment, that for the crimes he had committed, he needed a long suffering. So I put your father in a cab and sent him back to Bon Temps."

"I'm a little afraid to ask what punishment you came up with..."

He smirked. "You know that the older the vampire is, then stronger and better is the glamour – except of course for young Jessica who seems to be quite the prodigy. Well, I glamoured your Great-Uncle to have tiny small heart attacks every time he had lewd thoughts about little girls. How did he die?"

"According to Mr. Lancaster he had been sick for years... Eric, are you telling me that you didn't kill him when dad asked you to, but you were the ultimate cause of his death?"

He took a deep breath, a breath he didn't need to take, before nodding.

"Thank you" was all I could say.

"You're welcome. Now, if he was estranged from the family, then why did that lawyer went to Adele?"

"His will. He left his house and money to Hadley. Mr. Lancaster was hoping we would know how to contact her..."

"She ran off, didn't she? And she stole money from Adele, right?"

I nodded. "But I think I might have a lead. I search the state records and found a marriage licence and divorce decree under her name in New Orleans. And since Delahoussaye isn't that common, I'm pretty sure it's her. I'm going to call her ex-husband in the morning and ask him if he knows how to contact her."

"If you need any help, Lover, feel free to use Bobby. That man has quite a few tricks up his sleeves."

I yawned and nodded. Dawn was coming soon. The shutters were already closing and soon Eric would go to rest. I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me. I could feel Eric moving through the room and going to the bathroom before coming back to bed to snuggle next to me.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: **

**Good Monday, dear readers!**

**I had hope to post this earlier, but RL got in the way. My little sister Marie-Eve (even though she's 21 she'll always be my lil sis) was in and out of the hospital this week, dealing with intense migraines. So you can imagine that my mind wasn't on writing much. Luckily I have an awesome brother-in-law who not only took great care of Marie, but also made sure I didn't worry too much.**

**So… New chapter of Dead Briefs. We learned in the previous one that Hadley had been married to Remy Savoy in New Orleans and in this chapter we will learn more about their short lived marriage… and about other things. I suggest you check the Pinterest page (link on my profile) for Dead Briefs after reading it – and I'm serious, if you don't want to be spoiled check the Pinterest page AFTER.**

**I won't make you wait longer, click on the pic for the next installment.**

**Lara Kingsley**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Even though my late night / early morning activities with Eric completely exhausted me, I was up by half past 8. After a much needed cup of coffee, I settled in the home office with my cell phone, a legal pad and a pen. I hadn't really thought about how I was going to approach this Remy Savoy. At first I thought about driving to his New Orleans address, but then I'd much prefer being hung up on then having a door slammed in my face.

The phone rang two times before a man answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, could I please talk to Mr. Remy Savoy?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

"That's me! Who's callin'?"

"Good morning, Mr. Savoy. I apologize for calling in so early, but I thought this would be the best time to catch you. My name is Sookie Stackhouse from Auditore & Stackhouse Law Firm in Shreveport. I'm calling regarding your former wife, Hadley Delahoussaye."

There was a loud groan at the end of the line.

"What does that bitch want? I hope she ain't thinkin' 'bout suin' me for spousal support! Tell that two-time cheatin' bitch I'm done with her!"

His animosity toward my cousin didn't really surprise me. Most people who had the misfortune of encountering Hadley tend to despised her. It really hurt to admit it, but she was probably the most selfish person of my acquaintance – and I knew one Pam Swynford De Beaufort!

"I'm not calling on behalf of Hadley, Mr. Savoy. My client is actually Mrs. Adele Stackhouse, Hadley's maternal grandmother who also happens to be my own grandmother. You see, Hadley is my cousin..."

There was a silence. I was afraid that in his rage, Remy Savoy might have hung up on me.

"Mr. Savoy, are you still there?"

"Yes... I'm real sorry 'bout my outburst, Miss. I... Hadley wasn't really into talkin' 'bout her family, but she did talked 'bout her Gran once in a while. I think she even said she had an uncle who was a big time lawyer up North..."

"She was talking about my late father, Corbett. Mr. Savoy, I understand that you and Hadley were married for a while..."

"Worst mistake of my whole life! I should have listened to my mama! Hadley was nothin' but a fuckin' lyin' cheatin' drug usin' bitch!"

There definitely was some bad blood left between the former spouses.

"You're preaching to the wrong person, Mr. Savoy. I know firsthand how bad Hadley can be. Did you know she bailed out of rehab and stole our grandmother's check book? That she didn't even came back home when her own mother died after a long battle against cancer?"

He let out a laugh. "I didn't even know if her parents were dead or alive... I'm real sorry, Miss Stackhouse but I ain't heard 'bout Hadley since she tried to pin her bastard on me in September... You see the moment she started usin' again I threw her out..."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by pinning her bastard on you? Did Hadley give birth? She has a child?"

"She dropped the bomb 'bout a month after I found out she had been cheatin' on me with a guy who worked with me. She had started usin' dope again and anybody could be the kid's father. But it ain't me!"

"You had a paternity test done?" I asked, curious about how he could be dead on certain he wasn't the child's father.

"Ain't got money for that, but that kid sure ain't mine! Even if he was, I ain't ever gonna get myself chained to that bitch!"

He... Hadley had a baby boy. Shit... She could barely take care of herself, but a baby?

"Mr. Savoy, I need you to tell me everything you know about Hadley's whereabouts..."

"I'm tellin' you, I ain't know nothin'..."

How I wish I could read mind through the phone...

"She must have given you an address during your divorce proceeding or a phone number. It's really important, Mr. Savoy..."

He sighed. "She was stayin' in the Quarter. She was rentin' a room from some rich daddy's girl. Name is Carmichael, Mia or somethin' like that. Give me a minute."

Five minutes later I had an address, indeed located in the fashionable French Quarter of New Orleans, and a name, Amelia Carmichael.

"Thank you, Mr. Savoy."

"You ain't told me why you were lookin' for Hadley..."

"Hadley came into some sort of inheritance... Not a lot, but significant enough."

"Between you and me... Don't give her the money, she'll just buy more drugs with it."

I swiftly thanked him before hanging up. I knew that in some way he was right. But she was a mother, now. Motherhood tended to make women grew up. Maybe having a child had tamed her selfishness? I shook my head, fat chance indeed.

I spent the rest of the morning and the early afternoon planning. I quickly researched this Amelia Carmichael. She was the only daughter of Copley Carmichael, owner of a very successful construction company that ended up doubling its net worth after the disaster that had been Katrina. She was quite the recluse and didn't seem to socialize with people. I then called Gran, asking her to come before sunset and waited. Eric would be up shortly and I couldn't wait to tell him. I was still pretty shocked by my discovery.

Eric must have felt my emotion because he was already rising as I made my way to the bedroom.

"Lover..."

"Honey..."

"I imagine you were able to get a hold of this Remy Savoy."

I nodded. "Gran is coming soon..."

"Lover, is your cousin alright?"

The doorbell ringing didn't allow me to tell him about what I had uncovered.

"That must be Gran... Why don't you get dress, I will tell you both..."

He vamped to the walk in before reappearing seconds later fully dressed. I went to answer the door while he waited in the darken living room.

"Sookie, dear... Did you find her?"

"I might have..."

We all sat down on the couch, Eric sending me calm and reassurance through the bond.

"I found out that she had gotten married three years ago to a man named Remy Savoy in New Orleans."

"Did she settle down?" asked Gran, hopeful.

"No... They divorced about a year and a half ago. According to what Mr. Savoy told me, Hadley was sober when they first married, but soon fell off the wagon. He found out she was cheating on him with one of his co-worker and call it quit."

"Foolish girl!"

"But that's not the end, Gran. About a month after throwing her out, Hadley told Remy she was pregnant... He doesn't really know if he's the father or not, but he refused to acknowledge the child."

"Did this Mr. Savoy told you where your cousin was?" asked Eric.

"He's not absolutely sure, but he knows of her last known address. She had been renting a room in the Quarter to a woman named Amelia Carmichael. Hopefully she'll be able to tell us more."

My Viking nodded before taking his cell phone out of his jeans pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting the jet ready. It's about an hour flight from Shreveport to New Orleans, we can be back before dawn..."

"We?"

"Of course, Sookie. I'm not letting you go alone!"

I watched in disbelieve as he made arrangement for AIK corporate to be ready for takeoff as soon as the sun set.

"Sookie, dear... You didn't tell me, Hadley's baby..."

Gran seemed to have aged 10 years since I told her about Hadley's motherhood.

"A boy. I don't know his name or if he's alright... Hopefully we'll know soon."

"A baby boy? I have a great-grandchild!"

The sun wasn't fully set when we left Gran back at the house and drove toward Shreveport's airport in Eric's heavily tinted SUV. I took the wheel, afraid that the still there ray of light would hurt my vampire. And I was right to be afraid, since he got some light blisters as we boarded the jet. We sat down on the snow white leather couch. The pilot, his co-pilot and the stewardess were ready to depart and soon we were in the air. Once the seatbelt sign went out I offered him my neck. Reluctantly he refused it.

"I'll take a glass of Royalty Blend" he argued.

"You won't! You have blisters, Eric! Royalty Blend won't do! Bite me!"

Stupid, stubborn Vampire.

"If I bite you, Lover, we will scandalize my poor stewardess once she comes back from the cockpit..."

"Fuck the stewardess" I said. "If you don't bite me I'm going to take a knife and cut myself, then your immaculate couch is going to be stained..."

He didn't need more invitation. His fangs were down and quickly imbedded him my neck. As usual, his bite aroused me. I was grinding myself to him as the door leading to the cockpit opened and swiftly closed. Eric licked the wound he had inflicted me before making it disappear with some of his blood.

"I am regretting my choice of turning the jet bedroom into a light tight coffin storage room!"

I laughed before snuggling next to him. I found peace in his embrace. I knew that worst case scenario the rest of the evening would be awful and I wasn't going to let precious moment of quietness get away. Soon we were landing in New Orleans' Lakefront Airport, which was better than landing at the Louis Armstrong Airport, more privacy and less security.

The twenty minutes drive to the French Quarter was torture. I was dreading seeing my cousin. If indeed motherhood had changed her, then it would be quite easy. But if she was still the same selfish Hadley I knew – and I was pretty sure she still was, then it would be quite a confrontation. Then there was the baby to think of. My little cousin... If his mother was still selfish and irresponsible there was no way in hell I would let him stay with her!

"Lover we are here..."

I had never been to New Orleans before and under normal circumstance I would have been excited at the idea of visiting the Big Easy. But as I stood in front of Amelia Carmichael's beautifully restored house with ironwork galleries. I took a deep breath, squeezed Eric's hand which had been resting on my waist before ringing the doorbell.

"I'm here, Lover" he whispered, kissing my temple.

The door opened on a tiny brunette with dark circles under her eyes.

"Yes?"

I smiled. "Hello, you are Miss Carmichael, right?"

"Depends who's asking..."

"My name is Sookie Stackhouse and this is my boyfriend, Eric Northman, we would like to see Hadley if is available..."

"I don't know who you're talking about. I don't know any Hadley..."

She was getting ready to close the door on us when Eric stopped her. That's when we heard it. A baby crying.

"Is that the baby?" I asked. "Hadley's baby?"

I dropped my shields and listened to Miss Carmichael. Lucky for me, she was quite the broadcaster. Probably the loudest one I ever encountered.

_"Fucking Hadley! Not another couple you're hoping to con into buying your baby!"_

"Barnet är här, men Hadley inte. Jag tror att hon försökte sälja honom innan. Eric, hon skulle sälja sitt barn till högstbjudande! (The baby is here, but Hadley is not. I think she was trying to sell him before. Eric, she was going to sell her baby to the highest bidder!)"

"Jag tar hand om det, min älskare. (I'll take care of it, my lover)"

As soon as the words escaped his lips, Eric had Miss Carmichael under his glamour.

"Miss Carmichael, may I call you Amelia?"

She nodded, her eyes empty.

"Amelia, you will invite both me and Miss Stackhouse inside, won't you?"

"Please, come on in."

The living room was cosy, but nowhere could we see that a child was living here.

"Amelia, why don't you tell us about Hadley and her baby?"

"She's not here. She left about a month after giving birth, so 9 months ago. Told me she would send me money for the baby, but she never did. What she did send were couples, several couples, willing to pay to buy the baby."

Fucking Hadley! Selling off her baby while she knew she had family who would gladly take him.

"And do you know why Hadley was willing to sell her baby?" asked Eric, still holding Amelia Carmichael under his glamour.

"He was cramping her style. She couldn't go out as much as used to. And Hunter is quite a difficult child."

Hunter! We finally had a name!

"Are you here to take him?" she asked.

It hurt me to see how hopeful at the idea of us taking the baby.

"Yes, we are" said Eric.

I looked at him, surprised.

"Miss Stackhouse is Hadley's cousin. She can be trusted with the child, Hunter."

A smile appeared on Amelia Carmichael's face.

"Thank you! Hunter is such a difficult child, peculiar even. He doesn't like to be cuddle and prefer to be left alone in his cot."

A frown appeared on Eric's face. I was pretty sure he was thinking the same thing as me.

"Why don't you go collect his belonging and bring him to us. We will then leave and you will never be bothered again."

With that, Amelia got up and left. I turned to Eric.

"Do you think the same as me?"

"That the baby, Hunter, might be a telepath? Yes."

"Then no wonder Miss Carmichael think he is difficult and peculiar! She's the loudest broadcaster I ever heard!"

Heart wrenching cries got our attention as Amelia Carmichael came back to the living room carrying a blond haired, blue eyed 10 months old baby boy.

"Oh my God..."

Tears willed in my eyes. How could Hadley abandoned such a perfect little treasure?

Miss Carmichael handed me a diaper bag that I knew from her thoughts contained the baby's meagre possessions before giving him to Eric. As soon as the baby was in his arms, he calmed down. The magic of Vampire bubble.

"I put his birth certificate and other stuff in the bag..."

"Thank you, Amelia" said Eric, still holding her under his glamour. "You will forget all about our visit. If Hadley comes and ask you about Hunter's whereabouts, you will tell her that her family came and collected him."

"Of course!"

And with that we were back to the SUV that had brought us. Eric sat next to me, still holding Hunter, before asking the driver to take us back to the airport.

"Do you want to hold him, Lover?"

"I don't know... He looks so peaceful in your arms."

Eric holding a baby that in look could pass as his own was quite a sight. And the smiles gracing both his and Hunter's lips were enough to warm my heart.

"Here, take him" he said, passing the baby to me. "Put his head close to your heart, it should calm him."

I was expecting the baby to start crying again once leaving the sanctum of Eric's bubble, but surprisingly he didn't. The fact that I had been keeping my shields up might have something to do with it, so I slowly lowered them, but nothing happened. Hunter was still peacefully quiet.

"You are just like me, Liten Jägare (Little Hunter), there is no better place than against your Aunt Sookie's ample bosom!"

"Eric Northman! Don't listen to your Uncle Eric, Hunter... He just has a very deprived mind!"

Uncle Eric... And Aunt Sookie... It would take time getting use to.

"I'll call Adele and Pam" he added, taking his cell phone out. "They are in for quite a surprise."

That they were!

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: **

**Guess who's back with a new chapter?**

**I'm posting this new chapter in a hurry, I'm actually leaving in a couple of minutes to go work the graveyard shift at the hotel. I really hope to have the pleasure of reading some comments/reviews once I get back tomorrow home tomorrow morning.**

**I'm working on the next chapter of DB and of Your Presence Still Lingers Here, but I don't know which one will be up first. You'll just have to be surprised **

**So read and review!**

**Lara Kingsley**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes the plane preparing for landing. I yawned and smiled at the view offered to me. Eric was sitting next to me, holding Hunter on his laps, his strong and large hands on the back of his tiny little head. The baby's blue eyes were fixed on my Vampire, listening attentively to what he was saying.

"It will be good to have another man around, Liten Jägare. With your Aunt Sookie, Pam, Jessica and your great-grandmother Adele I was beginning to feel left out. We will need to teach you Swedish. And I might be tempted to teach you Old Norse. Pam could never perfectly master Swedish so Old Norse was out of the question and I never found the time to teach your Aunt Sookie. That could be our secret language, well ours and Godric. You will see, Liten Jägare, we will take good care of you."

He dropped a tender kiss to the little boy's head before turning to me.

"Did you have a nice nap, Lover?"

"I did and I can see you took the opportunity for some male bonding. So, Old Norse?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "Just another way to fu... to mess with Pam."

His slip of the tongue made me laugh. "You're already pretty good at this whole having a child around. We will have to tell Pam not to curse around the innocent little ears."

The plane landed without any hitch and soon we were in the SUV, Eric behind the wheel and me in the backseat. Since we didn't have a car seat for Hunter and I had to hold him, Eric drove carefully – a feat for the speed lover he was.

"Are you worried, Lover?" asked Eric, looking at me through the rear view mirror.

I bit my lower lip. "Yes... And no... It just that everything is going so fast. Yesterday I didn't even know he existed and now here he is! And I can't help but worry about Hadley's reaction once she learns about it. I'm afraid she'll take him back and I can't allow that. She basically abandoned him!"

"Don't worry, Lover. I will take every precaution possible so that your cousin can never have our Liten Jägare back. I know that human authorities aren't too keen on mothers abandoning their child. I'll contact Desmond Cataliades to see what we can do so you have legal guardianship of Hunter."

I smiled. Aside from being head of AIK, Desmond Cataliades was also a lawyer – albeit he hadn't been practising for a while. I guess I understood why Eric would want get him involved. With Jason being currently AWOL, the Daemon was the best option for us.

We made it to the house where Pam's pink minivan was parked next to Gran's Cadillac. Eric helped me out of the car and took Hunter is his arms. The view of my Viking holding this little baby was literally making my ovaries burst. He was so tender, so careful with his precious cargo. It was such a contrast with his Vampire Sheriff persona.

"Gran, Pam, Jessica, we're back!"

"Did you find Hadley... Oh my God!"

Shock filled Gran as she took in Eric holding Hunter.

"Is that..."

Her eyes were filled with tears as she struggled to find her words. Pam and Jessica suddenly appeared from the living room, both of them as shocked as my poor Gran.

"What the fuck is that!" exclaimed Pam, looking at the baby in Eric's arms with disgust.

"Pamela! Watch your language!" scolded Gran.

"A baby! But whose baby is it?"

Eric looked at me, then down at Hunter before answering Jessica's question.

"This is Hunter. He's the son of Sookie's cousin and he's going to live with us."

"Did something happen to Hadley? Oh my... something happened to Hadley!"

"Nothing happened to Hadley, Gran. At least we don't think anything happened to her. How about we all sat down and Eric and I will tell you about our finding."

We all sat down, except Pam who decided to stand by the fireplace, looking at us with a strange mix of disgust and boredom.

"Explain!" she nearly yelled, startling Hunter. "And there, it's already starting with the crying!"

One glare from Gran and the blond vamp was scared to the true death. I reach for Hunter's tiny hand but Eric was already soothing him.

"Don't worry, Liten Jägare, the mean lady isn't going to hurt you. I will command her not to if I have to."

"Shit, Eric! You're all gooey and soft!"

"Pamela! One more curse and I'll bring the soap to watch your dirty mouth!"

Reluctantly she sat down next to Gran, her eyes fixed on the hardwood floor.

"Now, tells us everything! From what you said, Sookie dear, I imagine you didn't see Hadley?"

I shook my head.

"Hunter was staying with her landlady. Apparently Hadley took off a month after giving birth and hasn't been seen ever since. Actually, apart from the couples she sent to buy the baby, her landlady hasn't had any contact with her."

"She tried to sell her baby?! What kind of woman does that?" asked Jessica, red tears filling her eyes.

"My brainless granddaughter, it would seem! That's not how her mama raised her to be!"

Aunt Linda might not have made the best choices regarding her daughter, i.e. the whole mess following the sexual abuses she suffered from Bartlett, but she sure didn't raise Hadley to be the kind of mother who abandoned her own child to a woman who was almost a complete stranger compared to her own family.

"He looks well enough to me" said Pam. "That landlady seems to have taken good care of the child. Why bring him here then? Having a baby Vamp was enough already, we don't need a human baby!"

Eric made a growling sound at his Childe, a sound that surprisingly made little Hunter giggle. Yeah, the little one wouldn't be scare of the big bad Vampire.

"First, because the child – whose name is Hunter should I remind you, is Sookie's and Adele's own blood. That should be reason enough. Second, because it seems like Hunter is special, like Sookie."

Shock filled Pam's eyes while Gran brought her hand to her lips. Jessica was the only one not really reacting to Eric's revelation. The young vampire simply frowned.

"What do you mean special like Sookie? Do you mean that he smells as sweet as her? Don't get me wrong, Sook, but apart from your smell you don't seem extra special to me."

I looked at Eric, then Pam, then Gran. Jessica had proven in the short time that she had been with us that she could be trusted. The only problem that could arise was her Maker, but we knew where her loyalty lied. Unless he was to use his Maker's Command, Jessica wanted nothing to do with Bill Compton, so there was no way she would willingly tell him any of our secrets.

"I think we should tell her" finally said Gran. "She ought to know. She's part of the family."

One look at Eric and I was able to decipher his body language. We would tell Jessica, but for her own safety and ours we would keep her in the dark about the true nature of my specialness.

"What Eric meant by saying that Hunter is special like me, Jess, is that Hunter appears to be a telepath."

"A telepath?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes, someone who can read people's thoughts."

"Wow! That's so cool! Can you read mine? What am I thinking of right now?"

I laughed. "I can't read yours, Jess. I can read almost everybody's thoughts, but vampires'? You're just big void to me."

"Which is why she likes it so much with Eric" added Pam, with a bit of teasing.

I smiled. If I had to choose between teasing Pam and bitchy Pam, I'd always go for teasing, even if I knew she did it to embarrass me.

"So Hunter can read people's mind too? But he's just a tiny little baby!"

"Which is why we have decided to take him in" explained Eric. "As he grows up, Sookie can help him with his shields to block others' thoughts. And as Sookie explained, vampires' thoughts are blank to telepaths. So being with us should be easier on him. When we found him in New Orleans, the woman who was taking care of him said he preferred to be alone in his cot, that he would scream every time someone would hold him."

"He seems so calm, so quiet. I can't imagine him screaming his head off..."

Eric smiled at Jessica before stroking Hunter's head.

"According to Sookie it's the magic of the vampire bubble."

Gran and Jessica were in awe at the little wonder, but Pam was still holding off. I knew that children weren't for her, but who could resist such an angelic face?

"I still have some of Corbett and Linda's old baby furniture up in the attic at the farmhouse. Do you think Mr. Burnham would agree to come and retrieve them? This little one will need his own room."

"Why would he need a room, Adele? In my time, young children shared their parents' room."

"In your time, Eric, it was the Middle Age!" I said, laughing. "You had to share rooms for lack of rooms. Today infants may share their parents' room in the first few weeks or months. It is easier for nursing time. But Hunter is obviously weaned and big enough to sleep in his own room. And think of it this way, if he was to share our room, we wouldn't be able to have any Sookie-and-Eric private time."

I nearly whispered the last part, but from Gran, Pam and Jessica's reaction I hadn't whispered it low enough.

"Alright, then... I will tell Bobby to go with you retrieve the furniture and set them up in one of the empty bedroom. The blue bedroom should do well for our Liten Jägare. But for tonight, Hunter will share our bed, alright min alskäre?"

I nodded.

"Hand-me-down furniture?" said Pam, offended. "Sorry Adele, but this won't do! You may use the old stuff you have for when he is at the farmhouse. I will take care of setting up the nursery here! And the blue bedroom, Eric? Blue?"

"Blue is a strong male color, Pam. A perfect color for our little one."

I could tell Eric was up to something, but it seemed like Pam, in her whole aversion to hand-me-down, couldn't.

"Just because historically blue has been considered a male color doesn't mean a baby boy nursery should be blue!"

"Says the woman whose complete wardrobe, house and car is pink" snickered Jessica.

"Shut up, baby Vamp!"

"Pam, language!"

"Sorry, Gran. But I won't budge! I will set up the nursery and buy the baby... Hunter some new clothes. Because if his wardrobe is filled with such clothes, it won't do!"

I frowned. "What's wrong with what he's wearing?"

I didn't see anything wrong with the green stripes romper he was currently wearing. Sure, it probably was department store bought clothes, but Hunter was a baby and baby didn't need to wear designer clothes!

"Everything is wrong, Sookie! If the little rug rat is to be part of this family he needs to have a wardrobe fit for our family! We have standards to maintain!"

I sighed. It was a lost cause, I knew it. I would let Pam buy whatever she wanted. Worst case scenario, Hunter would outgrow these clothes and we would have to donate them to charity. It was then decided that they would all stay for the night slash day, Gran to help me care for Hunter during daytime – I was after all new at this whole caring for a baby thing, and Pam so she could organize the setting of the nursery before she went to rest. She had already called both Mr. Burnham and the construction company when Eric and I retired to our bedroom with a sleepy Hunter.

"Do you think she'll realize you tricked her?" I asked as I closed the door behind me, taking the sight of my handsome man holding a tiny little baby.

He smiled. "Not unless you tell her."

We both lay down on the bed, Hunter between us. The baby's little hand was gripping one of Eric's fingers. The differences, i.e. their sizes, and their similarities, i.e. their blond hair and blue eyes, was startling.

"Did I ever tell you about my siblings?"

"Siblings? As in more than one? I thought you only had a baby sister..."

His eyes were fixed on Hunter, but there was something in them that I didn't like one bit. He seemed lost.

"I wasn't my parents' firstborn. Two winters before me, they had a boy, my brother Ragnar. My earliest memory is of him, teaching me how to use a wooden sword. Then came Inga, Björn, Svein, Gunnar, Magnus, Astrid and Yrsa. Life was rough back then. And Ragnar, Magnus, Yrsa and I were the only one to see more than 6 winters."

Even after more than a thousand years, I could hear the pain in his voice as he recalled his family.

"Ragnar was 12 winters when he went a-Viking and never came back. Magnus died of illness around his 10th winter and Yrsa followed him soon after. After Yrsa's death, my parents thought they wouldn't be blessed with more children. Until Mæva."

Mæva, his baby sister who had been mauled to death by weres.

"I was already past the age of marriage by then. My father was pushing me toward an alliance with the daughter of another chieftain. Mæva could have been my own daughter..."

"It must have been weird for you, to have a baby sister so late in your life."

"I loved her with all my heart. I wasn't ready to settle down, but she made me long for my own children. After their murders, I realized that I had an obligation to wed. But life or more likely death had other plan for me."

It had never crossed my mind, but I now realized what immortality had robbed Eric of. By the time of his turning, a Viking man normally had been married for a while and had had several children. But Eric had died single and childless.

"I'm aware of what you are letting go by choosing me as your mate, min alskäre. By being with me, you will never get to experience motherhood. I will never get to see you round with my child. But by taking our Liten Jägare in, I'm hoping to give you the opportunity to have a taste at motherhood."

"You know I don't give a damn about not having your biological children, Eric. I've long ago made my peace with not having our own babies. Being with you is enough. But I'm excited at the idea of taking care of Hunter, of raising him with you."

I stroked the baby's soft head. He was too young to have formed thoughts, but I could feel his emotions, mostly love and peacefulness.

"I will kill anybody who would wish harm on you, on both of you."

"Good. 'Cause I'll do the same."

Hunter let out a big yawn as his eyes slowly closed. Eric brought his face closer to mine, sealing his lips with mines.

"How I love you, Lover."

"You're the only man I've ever loved, Eric, the only man I'll ever love. No, scratch that. You're the first man I've ever loved. This little one... I know I've just met him, but I already love him."

His smirk was back on.

"I'm normally a very possessive man... But I won't mind sharing you with our Liten Jägare."

I kissed him again, my hand slipping through in hair.

"You know what? I'm starting to get used to your new haircut."

"It's a good thing I had to cut my hair. Our Liten Jägare seems to have quite a grasp."

I laughed, remembering how Hunter had pulled my hair back in the car.

"Why don't you sleep, Lover. You had quite a day. I'll watch over you, over both of you."

With a smile I closed my eyes and welcomed sleep. Our future looked brighter than ever.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: I have a confession to make. I've been quite lazy in my writing lately. Not that I'm suffering from white page syndrome or anything of the sort, no. I've just been lazy. Work is crazy right now and honestly I've been reading a lot of other people fics in my spare time. So if we have to put the blame on somebody, or in my case on several somebodies, then the blame goes to California Kat and her fics Uninvited and Touch The Flame, magsmacdonald's Make A Wish and mistressjessica1028′s A Different Life and In His Honor.**

**But I was able to finish chapter 4 of Dead Briefs Tome 2 (sorry for those who were hoping for a Your Presence Still Lingers Here update) between two bouts of insomnia. So without further ado, here's chapter 4. Don't forget to leave a comment!**

**Luv,**

**LaraK**

* * *

Chapter 4

I mustn't have slept long, because I was awoken by kisses trailed along my spine and hands playing with my hair. I sighed and choked a moan.

"Eric… I think you forgot our little bed mate."

I opened my eyes and started to laugh. Eric was dead for the day, but Hunter was wide awake and the kisses I felt were him trying to 'eat' me.

"Hey there, sweet pea."

He babbled, giving me a nearly toothless smile. Taped on his little pyjama was a note in Eric's careful script.

_Good morning Aunt Sookie,_

_I hope you were able to sleep well. Uncle Eric took care of me, feeding me a bottle he found in my bag and changing my diaper before rocking me to sleep. He says that he like the modern diapers better than the one they had when he was human. They are less messy._

_The mean lady has arranged for a construction team to come and set up my nursery. She said they should get here around mid-afternoon. Uncle Eric said not to worry, that they will be glamour to forget the location of our house._

_Uncle Eric's dayman should bring a car seat so you, me and Gran can go shopping. He also said to take his credit card, not to look at the price tag sand that you should understand what he means._

_Hunter_

"Seems like Uncle Eric thought of everything, don't you think, Hunter?"

The only answer I receives was a string of babbles. He was so damn cute. He had stopped eating my back and was now trying to eat his fist.

"I think someone is hungry. Come on, sweet pea, let's find you something to eat before you lose your hand."

Carefully lifting the baby, I dropped a kiss on Eric before leaving the room. The house was eerily quiet, the only sound coming from Hunter's babbles. Making our way downstairs, I dropped my shields and smiled. Gran was up and apparently she wasn't alone.

"Gran has a visitor, sweet pea. And if I'm not wrong he came with gifts for you."

We found Gran and Mr. Burnham in the kitchen with little Freyja in her wicker basket.

"Good morning, Gran, Mr. Burnham!"

"Good morning, Miss Stackhouse."

"Sookie, dear, Mr. Burnham was nice enough to bring a car seat for Hunter and some baby food."

The white haired man smiled, sipping his coffee.

"I'm only doing what Mr. Northman is paying me to do, Mrs. Stackhouse..."

"What have I said, Mr. Burnham, please call me Adele!"

"Only if you agree to call me Bobby."

While I fed Hunter some cereal, Mr. Burnham – or Bobby as he insisted, told us about his wife and his own children. It surprised me to learn he had been working as Eric's dayman for close to forty years. He was even training his oldest son – also named Bobby, to take over once he finally decides to retire.

Looking at his watch, Mr. Burnham – I could never call him Bobby, finished his cup of coffee.

"I'll have to cut my visit short, ladies. Miss Pam left me an exhaustive shopping list..."

"I hope she's not over..."

"Don't you worry, Miss Sookie, all I have to do is order and arrange for delivery. From what she sent me, this little guy will have a wonderful room."

We said our goodbyes then Gran ushered me upstairs to get dressed while she took care of Hunter. Choosing to go with casual, I put on a pair of blue jeans, a frilly blouse and beige cardigan matched with booty-like high heels. When I finally made my way down, Gran had dressed Hunter in a little white overall.

"Come on, Sookie! We don't have time to be lazy if we want to be back before the construction team gets here! I already feel so bad about leaving Eric, Pamela and Jessica alone for the day..."

Grabbing my purse and taking Hunter in my arms I sighed.

"They're going to be alright, Gran. The house has a state of the art security system..."

"I still feel bad..."

While Gran continued to fret over leaving our vampires alone, I secured Hunter in his car seat, kissing his soft head before taking the wheel.

"Do you know where we should start?" I asked.

If I was completely honest with myself, I had no clue what a baby needed. But I had an expert with me. Gran had, after all, had 2 kids and 3 grandchildren, so she must know what we needed.

"Well, Pamela left me a list of items not to buy... Isn't there a Toys R'Us next to Eric's bar? We should find some toys for Hunter..."

And so we went to downtown Shreveport and spent 2 hours strolling down the aisles buying way too many toys and plush. Luckily this Toys R'Us also had a Baby R'Us section and we were able to get more outfits for the little one.

"Sookie" said Gran, while we were looking through rack of clothes.

She showed me a cute little onesie that made me burst in laughter.

"_If you think I'm a stud you should see my uncle_? We have to get this for Eric!"

Our next stop was the Monroe Walmart. We had a trolley full of diapers pack, baby foods, sling like baby carrier and more toys.

"I think we should be okay for a while, Gran. If we continue like this there won't anything left on the shelves."

Gran, who during our shopping expedition proved to be as crazy as Pam, reluctantly agreed.

"Do you want me to hold Hunter while you check out?"

I hadn't let go of Hunter once since we arrived at the shop. I felt so comfortable holding the little one and a part of me was afraid to let him go. I might not have Eric's vampire bubble, but by keeping my shields up I was able to provide a safe haven for the baby.

"No, I'm going to be okay. And he seems like he's enjoying himself."

And enjoying himself he was. Lowering my shields a little I felt comfort, love and peacefulness coming from him. His little head was resting in the crook of my neck, his hand holding a strand of hair as if his life depended on it.

The cashier, a nice looking middle aged lady, scanned each items and bagged them carefully.

"You have a beautiful baby, Ma'am."

"Thank you" I said, not really sure how to answer.

Hunter wasn't my baby, even if, in the really short amount of time I had known him, I had felt a maternal love for him.

"You look just like mommy, don't you little guy? But those big blue eyes must come from daddy, right?"

I politely smiled and bit my lower lips. Wanting to escape the awkwardness, I managed to put the bags in the trolley, handed Eric's credit card and signed the receipt.

"Have a nice day, Mrs. Northman..."

Mrs. Northman... How I wish it could be true. How I wish I could be Hunter's mother and Eric his father... How I wish I could be his wife and him my husband... How I wish he was human... How I wish to be able to give him a child of his own...

"Come on, Sookie" said Gran, pulling me out of my daydream.

"What? Oh, yeah. Have a nice day, Ma'am."

The car ride was silent, except for Hunter's babbles. But Gran, being Gran, soon realized something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Sookie? You're awfully quiet! It's what the lady at Walmart said, right?"

I sighed. "You really know me too well..."

She smiled. "You're my granddaughter, Sookie. Blood of my blood. Of course I know when something is bothering you. You feel conflicted about the fact that she thought you were Hunter's mother, am I wrong?"

"When are you ever wrong, Gran?" I joked. "It's not that I'm conflicted or... I don't know... I've known about Hunter for what, 24 odd hours? A little more than a day and yet... I feel this connection to him, this unconditional love for him. I know it's crazy..."

Gran offered me one of her warm smile. "It's not crazy, my Sookie. Any mother feels that way upon meeting her child for the first time. That's exactly how I felt when the doctor handed me your father and your aunt Linda after their births."

"But I'm not his mother, Gran! Hunter is not my son! He's Hadley's..."

I stopped the car in the driveway and Gran took my hands in hers, looking in my eyes. I saw years and years of wisdom in them and in that moment I knew that she knew better.

"You listen to me, Susannah Stackhouse! This little boy might not be yours biologically, but deep down you already know that he's yours. That he was meant for you, just like you were meant for him. It's like you and Eric, you were meant to be together. It's Fate, my sweet little girl. Fate has decided that you and Eric were meant to take care of this precious baby. Don't try to understand it, just go with it."

"But... I'm afraid! Afraid to get attached to him, afraid that one day Hadley will come back and take him away. I already love him, Gran..."

She wiped away a tear that was rolling down my cheek.

"You got to have faith, little girl. And if by any chance Hadley was to come back and claim our little miracle, do you really think Eric would let her take him? He would glamour her and have her on her way before she even has a chance to say one word. And there's always Bartlett's money. We can bribe her with it!"

"Gran!"

I was shocked. Was this really my Gran? My sweet, nice, little Gran?

"What? I told you, I know my grandchildren. Hadley has unfortunately inherited her father's selfishness and, from the way she treated her own child by leaving him to a stranger instead of taking him to her family, I'm pretty sure if we offer her money she would go away without an argument."

I had to agree with Gran on that. Hadley would do anything for money.

"Now, take a deep breath and calm down. You wouldn't want Eric to rise before his time with your distress."

Again she was right. I wiped away my tears and a quick glance to the rear view mirror brought a smile to my face. Yes, Hunter was a precious miracle. A miracle for our family, as strange and unconventional a family as it was.

"Look, Mr. Herveaux has already arrived!"

Gran got out of the car and went to welcome the gentleman standing by the truck near the garage. I unbuckled Hunter and followed her.

"Mrs. Stackhouse! I didn't know you would be here" said the man.

"My dear Jackson, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Adele! But where are my manners! Jackson Herveaux, allow me to introduce you to my granddaughter, Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie dear, this nice gentleman is Mr. Jackson Herveaux. He's the owner of the construction company that did the renovation at the farmhouse."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Stackhouse. Your grandmother told me so much about you."

"Don't believe everything she says! She tends to embellish things!" I smiled.

"She wouldn't dare! And I guess this is the little guy for whom we are goin' to build a nursery?"

I nodded and let my shields down. From what I got from his thoughts, which were red and snarly, Jackson Herveaux was a were.

"How about I give you a hand with your bags, ladies? My team should get here just before dawn and I have time to kill."

We took the shopping bags to the living room and headed to the kitchen where Gran put water in the kettle for tea. We all sat down in the breakfast area, little Freyja appearing out of nowhere and settling in her little basket.

"I have to tell you that you did an amazing job on the farmhouse, Mr. Herveaux."

"Please, call me Jackson, Miss Sookie. And I can't take all the credit for the work on your family home. I only oversaw the work. My son Alcide is the one who came up with the plans, just as he did for this house..."

"Your company built this house as well? Then I owe you and your son a big thank you, Mr... I mean, Jackson. It's really fabulous."

"Speaking of your son, how is this dear Alcide doing? And what about your Janice?"

"Well, he's still gettin' over his breakup with his former girlfriend, Debbie. I think you might remember her, she came down from Mississippi while we were doin' the work at the farmhouse. As for Janice, she just opened her beauty shop and doesn't have time to call her ol' man as much as I would like."

Jackson Herveaux then told me how his company, Herveaux & Son Construction, had two offices, one in Shreveport and one in Jackson, Mississippi. He was in charge of the Louisiana office while his son Alcide was taking care of the one in Mississippi. He told me about his previous gambling problem that nearly left him bankrupt and in debt with several supernatural owned casinos, how Eric had bought his marker and given him the opportunity to open a second office in Shreveport under his patronage.

"And I don't regret it one bit, you know. Some people might think that doin' business with vamps is a bad idea, especially people like me, if you know what I mean..."

"You mean weres? I know that the history between weres and vampires isn't an easy one, but it's great to see that you're making the best of it."

"The best of it ain't even coverin' it, Miss Sookie! With all the work Mr. Northman got me and the company in the past 3 years, I've been able to repay my debt to him 10 times! Some people told me to stop doin' business with him as soon as I finished repayin' him, but it's good business, you know. My company is doin' more than well and I was able to help my baby girl when she decided to start her own business. Why stop now? I have a nice egg nest for my retirement and a legacy for my son. And the fact that I asked Mr. Northman to glamour me not to gamble anymore is cherry on top of the sundae! And of all the vampires that could have bought my marker, Mr. Northman ain't that bad. Sure, he looks menacin' and ruthless, but he's a fair Sheriff and quite the successful businessman."

"You haven't seen him with little Hunter, yet" said Gran. "With this little one in his arms, he's just a big teddy bear!"

"Who's a big teddy bear, Adele?"

Hunter let out a shriek and tried to escape my grasp. I turn around and smiled at the newcomer. Eric was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, dressed in a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans. He went to kiss Gran on the cheek before kneeling in front of me, taking a very eager Hunter in his waiting arms.

"Hello, lover..."

The sight of him holding the baby and the lust filling his voice was enough to make me melt.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: ****Dear readers,**

**I've been meaning to post this new chapter of Dead Briefs sooner, but I got a brand new toy last week. I got a brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab3 with an awesome wallpaper (a hint? It's a certain Swedish guy...). ****Really, how could I do anything else but stare at my new tab? ;)**

**Anyway I have chapter 5 of Dead Briefs ready. Sorry, still not a Your Presence Still Lingers Here. I'm concentrating on one fic at a time right now. Hopefully I'll have some down time at work soon, which should allow me to work on YPSLH.**

**As usual your comments and reviews are what keeps me writing.**

**Luv, **

**Lara Kingsley**

* * *

Chapter 5

I thanked all the Gods known to mankind for the presence of my Gran, Mr. Herveaux and Hunter or I would have jumped Eric right here, right now.

"So, who's a teddy bear?"

"Mrs. Stackhouse was tellin' me how you turn into a big teddy bear with the little one. You sure you weren't a were-bear in your human life?" joked Mr. Herveaux.

"I think I should be offended by this idea, Herveaux, but for the sake of the little one I won't."

"Don't worry, Sheriff. I think that any man, be it a human, a were or even a vampire, turn completely gaga when holdin' a baby, 'specially one as cute as this one."

There was no point arguing with Mr. Herveaux on that, Hunter sure was one cute little thing.

"Mr. Herveaux told me his company did the works at the farmhouse and built this place…"

"I ain't gonna take credits for everythin', Miss. Most of it was my boy, Alcide, and the Sheriff did the all the blueprint for this place…"

I looked at Eric, surprised. He smirked.

"Did I ever tell about my time studying architecture with John Nash in London? We did some work on Buckingham Palace and Clarence House…"

"You worked with probably the most well-known Regency's architect?"

As if it was nothing, he shrugged.

"Honestly, I preferred my time with Frank Lloyd Wright."

"You worked with THE Frank Lloyd Wright?!" exclaimed Mr. Herveaux. "Wait 'till I tell Alcide! Now I understand why you were so invested in the construction of this house!"

"No… My passion for architecture had nothing to do with it."

He took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips.

"I did it for Sookie."

Now I was melting. Tears were filling my eyes as I bit my lower lip. I grabbed the back of his head and swiftly kissed him.

"Please, get a room!" moaned Pam, standing in the doorway. "You don't want to traumatize the child!"

"The child has a name, Pam. Will I have to command you to use it?"

She sighed, looking at her well manicured nails.

"Speaking of the ch… of little Hunter, I have shopping to do for him."

Gran frowned. "I thought you had Mr. Burnham do all the shopping…"

"Furniture shopping, yes! I'm talking about clothes! If that… thing he's wearing is what his wardrobe consist of, then I have a long night ahead of me!"

"We did some clothes shopping today, Pam. Which reminds me, Eric, I got something you need to see!"

I search the shopping bag that we left in the living room and comes back to the kitchen with the little onesie.

"I hope this meets your approval, Pam!"

The blond vamp looked at the tiny piece of clothing and smirked.

"Well, it sure is true! Both his 'uncles' are stud. I should know better than anyone!"

"Pamela!" scolded Gran.

"What? It's true! Eric is quite the stud and so is Jason!"

"Jason? You received news from Jason?"

Jessica was standing in the doorway, still in her pyjamas.

"Is he okay? When is he coming back?"

"Oh, sweetheart, no we haven't received any news from him" said Gran, to the disappointed baby vamp. "How about I warm you a blood?"

The sweet girl smiled before taking her place at the table.

"And Jason Stackhouse made another victim!' whispered Pam in my ear. "Poor girl got it bad it seems."

"Green is not a good colour on you, my Childe" said Eric feeding Hunter a teething cookie.

"I'm not envious or jealous, Eric! Honestly I think the baby vamp and Jason would be good for each other. Now… If you'll excuse me I have shopping to do. And you, Master, have to deal with our guest whose stay in the basement of Fangtasia has come to an end…"

He let out a groan before handing the baby back to me, watching his Childe say her goodbye.

"As much as I would love to stay with the two of you, Lover, Pam is right. I have to take care of our… guest."

"Better than saying prisoner, right? You go, big Viking! I'll be here waiting for you and who knows, I might be able to get Gran to take Hunter for the night so, once you come back, you and I may be able to enjoy some Sookie and Eric alone time uninterrupted…"

His lips claimed mine as his arms snaked around my waist.

"I'll look forward to that, Lover."

I smiled before sending him on his way with a well placed slap to his world class butt. Soon Mr. Herveaux' team arrived and Gran, Jess and I were instructed not to go upstairs and try to get a peek at the nursery. Apparently Miss Pam had threatened to rip a certain part of their anatomy off and feed them to gators if they allowed us to see it before the great reveal.

And so after getting dressed, Jessica joined Gran and I in the living room to watch some television while Hunter played on a little Fisher Price mat on the floor. After surfing through different channel, we settled for the local news.

"_And now we're joined by Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Hamby of Shreveport, whose daughter, 17 year old Jessica Hamby, has gone missing almost a month ago…_"

"That's my mama and daddy!" said Jessica, red rimming her eyes.

"_Please… We're begging you_" pleaded Mrs. Hamby, "_all we want is for our Jessica to come back home._"

"_To whoever has information about the disappearance of young Jessica Hamby, please contact the Shreveport Police Department information line…_"

"My poor mama! And Eden… I have to see them! I have to tell them I'm okay! Sookie, take me to my home… my former home, please!"

I was conflicted. Her parents thought she had been kidnapped, which in a way she had been. But how would they react once learning that she had been turned into a vampire? From what I had gathered, Jessica's relationship with her father was a rather abusive one. But now she was a vampire, she would obviously have the upper hand over her violent father.

"I can't do that, Jessica…"

"But why? I know that Eric said that before the Great Revelation once you were turned you couldn't contact your family… But it's different now!"

"I… Jess, I… I can't take you to your family."

I looked at Gran, hoping she would be able to help me.

"How about we call Eric and Pam?" she said. "They might be able to help you, sweetheart."

I called Pam first and, apart from being pissed at being interrupted during her shopping spree, agreed to come back to the house to take Jessica. It was then decided that Gran and I would go to the farmhouse in Bon Temps where Gran, Jess and Hunter would spent the night / day while Eric and I enjoy some alone time in Shreveport.

I followed Gran's Cadillac, my precious cargo babbling in the back. Eric texted me back as I pulled up in front of the ancestral family home. He had finished with his business with Lafayette and had some paperworks to do at the bar. He would meet me back at the house later.

Looking at the old grandfather clock standing in the foyer of the farmhouse surprised me. It was quite early, just a little after 8:45. The day had been extremely cloudy, hiding the sun for most of the afternoon which explained how Pam and Jessica, being younger than Eric, had been able to rise from their day rest this early.

"Sookie, dear, would you be nice enough to go to the attic and get the playpen for Hunter?"

I gladly went upstairs. The attic had been my favourite place to hide and play when I was visiting as a child. I remembered spending entire afternoon looking through the huge trunks filling the cramped space. One trunk in particular had been my favourite, the one holding both Gran and mom's wedding dresses. I used to dream about my own wedding day, wearing either one of those dresses. I dreamed of getting married to Eric… How naïve I had been…

"Want me to put it in your bedroom?" I asked once I made my way back downstairs.

"That would be nice of you, sweetheart."

Soon we had everything ready for Hunter. The playpen was ready to use in the bedroom, the highchair was in the kitchen and his play mat was on the floor of the living room.

"Thank you again, Gran, for taking Hunter for the night…"

"You don't need to thank me, little girl. Knowing you will enjoy your alone time with Eric is thanks enough…"

"Gran!"

"What? A child is a lot for a young couple. Normally a couple has 9 months to get used to going from 2 to 3, you and Eric had what? 10 minutes? And as much as the both of you already love little Hunter, you need some time together. Lots of couple don't make it after having a child, not that I think you and Eric won't make it, no. That boy loves you, unconditionally. And so do you."

I smiled. "It's always so funny hearing you call Eric a 'boy'. He's over a thousand years old, you know?"

"Don't I know! But he still looks so young. And the way he acts around you reminds me more of a teenager than a 1000 years old vampire."

I took a sip of my cup of tea and sighed in contentment.

"Have you talked about how you will handle thing with Hunter?" she asked, looking at the little one who was playing quietly on the floor.

"Handle thing with Hunter? What do you mean?"

"Are you going to petition for legal guardianship? Are you going to adopt him? And how will Hunter address both you and Eric?"

I hadn't really thought of that. Everything had gone so quickly…

"Well, if we can't get a hold of Hadley, sure I'm going to petition for legal guardianship. We have enough to plead parental abandonment. And since his birth certificate is blank for father, Mr. Savoy shouldn't be a problem. As for adoption? I could adopt him, but not Eric since he's a vampire. As for how Hunter is going to address both of us once he talks… Aunt Sookie and Uncle Eric will do perfectly!"

Gran smiled. "The State of Louisiana might not allow vampire to marry yet, let alone adopt, but if I'm not wrong Sweden already does. If you and Eric were to move there for a while, you could get married and adopt the little one."

"We couldn't. Eric has his duties here as Sheriff and even though I can conduct my work from anywhere we couldn't leave you alone…"

"Are you telling me the idea crossed your mind? And who said you would go to Sweden alone? I've always wished to go visit Eric's homeland."

"I… Gran! I don't know how you do this! Making me confess thing without me even noticing!"

"It's a mother skill, dear. It takes years and years of practice, but don't worry you'll get there someday. Because that's what you will be for this little one, Sookie. His mother. And Eric will be his father. This whole Aunt Sookie and Uncle Eric thing won't work for long. You will be Mama and Daddy before you know it."

I didn't answer, simply looked at Hunter, imagining how it would feel to have him calling me mama… How it would feel to have him calling Eric daddy… We could be a family. No, we were already a family. Why shouldn't he call us mama and daddy? No, I couldn't do that to Hadley. Yes, she had basically abandoned her baby, but she was his mother! She would hate me even more if she were to come back and find out… No, I couldn't think like that. Hadley wouldn't come back. She was selfish… Selfish enough to come back and fight us for a helpless baby… No, Eric would move Heaven and Earth before allowing Hadley… God! What a mess were my thoughts tonight.

"Look, Pamela and Jessica are back!"

The redhead girl entered the house and threw herself in Gran's arms, mumbling through her sobs. I turned toward Pam who looked pissed as hell.

"I guess it didn't go that well…"

"In retrospect it went good. But that father of hers… And they say that vampires are monsters!"

"Was she at least able to say goodbye?"

"Yes. After I glamoured her dad into leaving the house and glamoured her mom into asking for divorce. This way her sister will have a chance at a somewhat normal childhood. I might have also glamoured the dad into getting a tattoo on his forehead saying 'child beater'."

"Pam…" I scolded.

"What? The prick deserved it!"

I sighed. "How did she take it?"

"She wanted to make him suffer… But she was more worried about her sister."

Jessica and Gran came back from the water closet where the young girl cleaned her blood rimmed eyes.

"Jessica, Hunter and I are going to Merlotte's" announced Gran. "I'm hungry and this one could use a Tru Blood. Sookie, would you mind putting Hunter's car seat in my Cadillac?"

I nodded and while I took the car seat out of my Audi, Pam softly talked to Gran. After a kiss to Hunter I was ready to go on my way while Pam went back to her shopping. I turn the radio on, singing along. Now that I knew that Jessica would be okay, I felt a little better and less guilty about having a night of pure bliss with Eric.

I was halfway to Shreveport when the car suddenly stopped. I cursed as I try to restart it, to no avail. I fished my phone from my purse and check for any network. But my luck was out, no bar… Shit… Grabbing my stuff I got out and decided to walk back to Bon Temps. I couldn't be that far, or was I? How long had I drove… I felt something behind me, a presence. Lowering my shields all I got was static… Weird, it had never happened before. If it had been an animal, a predator following me, I would have been able to feel it, but all I could get was static. Like a television with no signal…

Taking a deep breath I started to run… until something – or someone, grabbed me by the hair, pushing me to the ground. I tried to get up, but was pushed back. I let out a scream as I felt something clawing my back. The pain was intense and suddenly everything was black.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note: **

**And a new Dead Briefs chapter is up!**

**I had originally planned for Chapter 6 to be longer, but in the end I decided to split it in two. So Chapter 6 is an EPOV and Doctor Ludwig is in it!**

**So read and leave a comment ;)**

**Lara Kingsley**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

After receiving my Childe's report about Jessica's meeting with her human family and the text message from Sookie telling me she was heading back home to Shreveport alone, I settled in my office to go through some of the Area paperworks my lover had helped me with. No sooner had I sat down at my desk that Bill Compton came barging in, moaning about the Area vampires being uncooperative and asking me to do something about it.

"What do you want me to do, Compton? Most of the vampires of Area 5 have been residing here since well before the Great Revelation. For them you are an outsider..."

"An outsider?!" he exclaimed, outraged. "I was born in Bon Temps..."

"I was born in Sweden, Compton, but if I were to move back there I'm pretty sure Gustaf and his court would be weary of me at first."

"Gustaf?"

"Gustaf Olafson, the Vampire King of Sweden. As a member of Queen Sophie-Anne's court I would have thought you were familiar with other monarchs. I'm a mere Sheriff and I know of most of the vampire Kings and Queens in both America and Europe."

"I... You... You are way older than me, Northman! I'm barely 200 while you are over a thousand."

I sighed. "Back to your trouble with our fellow Area vampires, maybe you should spend more time socializing with them."

"Socializing? You mean spending my nights here like most of them seem to do? I am mainstreaming, Northman!"

"Then mainstream here at Fangtasia. I have an arrangement with most of the vampires of Area 5; in exchange for a night of being on display at the bar I lower the percentage they are to give to the Queendom."

"That's illegal! I'll have to report to the Queen that you are withholding..."

"I am withholding nothing, Compton. You see, I cover the difference for them."

Compton was clearly confused. I have to admit that I really like confused Compton.

"Fangtasia is a vampire bar. More vampires spending nights here mean more profits for the bar. You see, it's a win-win situation for every parties involved. The vampires pay less, the bar makes more money and the Queendom receives all the money it is due plus the percentage of the profit from the bar it receives is substantially higher."

What's the human saying? Stick that in your pipe and smoke it?

'You... I can now understand why your Area is the most profitable of Louisiana."

"That and the fact that I'm a keen businessman. Now, what else..."

I stopped and nearly double up in pain.

"Northman? Are you..."

"Sookie!"

And with that I was out of the building and taking to the sky. The closer I got to Sookie, the more pain I felt. Each seconds passing were nearly killing me. I finally landed in a secluded road, a couple of miles out of Bon Temps. Sookie's SUV was stopped in the middle of the road, but Sookie was nowhere in sight.

"Sookie!"

I heard a groan and vamped to it. My Sookie, my lover, min alskäre was lying face down on the ground, the soft material of her blouse ripped and blood spilling a gashing wound. Without even thinking I bit my wrist and brought it to her mouth. A foul scent was clinging to her, a scent I never smelled before. While she took mouthful of my blood, I fished my cell phone from my pocket.

"Ludwig I need you in 5 minutes... Fangtasia will be closer... It's Sookie... She was attacked... I don't know... Please, Ludwig, I can't lose her..."

Three minutes later and we were entering Fangtasia. Ginger was cleaning up the bar and screamed as I vamped in.

"Ginger, shut up! And be useful, bring clean towels!"

I carefully laid Sookie on one of the ottoman and cradled her face in my hands.

"Ludwig is coming, min alskäre..."

"Eric..." she moaned. "I..."

"Northman! What the hell..."

I turned toward Compton and promptly shut him up. His attention turned to Sookie who was now squirming with pain.

"Sookeh! What happened to her?"

"I don't know..."

"You called, Viking?"

Standing at the entrance was the small Supernatural doctor. Although I had known her for decades, I had never been able to find out Patricia Ludwig's exact specie. But right now, whether she was a Hobbit, a Munchkin or a Leprechaun didn't matter. What mattered was that my beautiful lover was in pain. My blood had done barely nothing to ease her, which was a first.

"Who the hell is that?" asked Compton, getting closer and closer to my Sookie.

I growled at him, fangs down.

"That, fanger, is the doctor who's going to save this little girl. Get out of my way and let me do my job!"

She approached Sookie and looked at her back.

"What the fuck happened to her, Viking?"

"I don't know. I felt her pain through the bond and found her lying on the road."

Compton was now by my side, looking at Sookie's ripped back.

"You think an animal did that? Should we give her blood?"

Ludwig quickly examined the gash on Sookie's back before looking through her medical bag.

"I don't know for now... As for blood, yours won't do anything, but the Viking, maybe."

"What do you mean, my blood won't do? My blood is as good as Northman's!"

If it wasn't for the fact that Sookie was probably dying in front of me, I would have maybe ripped Compton into pieces. But my little fairy was dying, it broke my undead heart to admit it, but she was.

"You're blood will be useless, Mr. What-Ever-Your-Name-Is."

"It's Compton. Bill Compton, Area 5 Investigator."

"I don't care who you are or what your job is. I delivered this little girl and I know that she will reject any blood you attempt to give her. And knowing the Viking, he would prefer to meet the sun than to have his bonded and mate takes the blood of another vampire. Am I right, Norseman?"

How she even knew Sookie and I were mated – Odin, I despised the word mate, Sookie was so much more than my mate – I wouldn't know.

"I will need to undress her" stated Ludwig, putting on surgical gloves. "Norseman, you may stay if you want, but I know you won't want this one present."

I softly stroked Sookie's hair before kissing her forehead as white foam spew out of her mouth. I followed Compton to my office and called Pam, asking her to retrieve Sookie's car and investigate the site.

"Do you really trust that... thing to take care of Sookie?"

"That thing is the best Supernatural doctor in existence" I said, pacing nervously.

"Supernatural doctor? And she said she delivered Sookie?"

I sighed. "Not only is Ludwig a Supes doctor, she's also my personal physician."

"You said she was your physician then how come..."

"If you know what is good for you, Compton, you will shut the fuck up! Ludwig has been the Stackhouses physician ever since Corbett Stackhouse became my lawyer. I take care of my employees. There, you have it."

I kept pacing the length of my office, trying my best not to trash the place as I felt Sookie's pain and heard her screams through the door. Pam arrived 30 minutes later, her once pristine pumps now marred with mud.

"Have you found anything?"

"Nothing... There was a foul scent surrounding the car, but I lost its trail after two miles. What the fuck is Ludwig doing to her?"

"Saving her life, hopefully."

"Have you been able to give her blood? Did she reject it?"

"Yes, I was. But it didn't heal her..."

"Someone cares to explain why the... doctor said no blood would do her any good?" asked Compton, breaking his long silence.

I looked at my Childe, rolling my eyes.

"Sookie is unique, Compton" explained Pam. "All you need to know is that she seems to reject any vampire blood, that is except Eric's."

Finally Ludwig called us back to the bar. Sookie was now shirtless, still on the ottoman and still in pain.

"Min alskäre..."

"Eric..."

"Hush, lover, keep your strength..."

"Whatever clawed her poisoned her" stated Ludwig. "The poison is slowly making its way through her nervous system. It will slowly paralyze her before killing her."

"Is there anything you can do to save her?"

The tiny doctor snorted. "Viking, is your Childe doubting my medical ability? Of course I can save her! She will be in pain, but I will save her."

"Then do it!" I shouted.

Ludwig sighed. "Hold her, Viking."

The next couple of minutes seemed like hours as Ludwig pour an acid-like liquid on Sookie's claw marks. I hold her still, trying to sooth her in Swedish as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"It's done" simply said Ludwig. "Viking, you may give her blood."

I nodded as I bit my wrist and feed my lover my blood.

"Give her a good dose" explained the doctor. "She should sleep the whole night and day afterward. If there is any complication, call me. I will expect my payment in the mail tomorrow!"

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Doctor Ludwig."

As Sookie latched to my wrist Pam shooed a reluctant Bill and Ginger out.

"I will fly us home as soon as I am done feeding her."

"Want me to follow you?"

"No, you may go back to your house. I will call you at sunset with an update."

Sookie's back was now pink, the horrible claw marks barely visible.

"The crew should be nearly done with the nursery and Bobby confirmed that the furniture had been delivered and set."

"Thank you, Pam."

I carefully picked Sookie in my arms, covering her naked breast with my leather jacket. The flight home took twice the time, but I wouldn't take any risk. My precious cargo remained asleep as I set her on our bed. Knowing she was now safe in the sanctum of our house, I went to the kitchen and warmed myself a glass of Royalty Blend. I realized how close I had been to lose her. I vowed to make whoever had attacked her pay dearly.

"Sheriff?"

I set the glass on the counter and turned toward Jackson Herveaux. His coverall was splashed with paint and sweat covered his hair.

"Yes?"

"We're done. My guys are waiting to be glamour, but I thought you might want to check out the work before..."

I sighed. "Yes."

I followed him upstairs and barely look at the result. It didn't feel right. Sookie was supposed to be with me...

"Good work, Herveaux. I'll have your payment wired by dawn."

"No need, Sheriff. Miss Pam already took care of it."

I quickly glamoured the construction team before returning to my room. I still had several hours before dawn, but I remained in bed, my lover nestled in my arms. Dawn couldn't come sooner. Hopefully, by sunset tomorrow, my lover would be back to her old self.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Note:**

**And one more chapter of Dead Briefs ready! I had plan for this chapter to be a bit longer, but I realized that finishing it with a tiny little cliffhanger wouldn't harm anybody, right? Unless I fall victim of a certain magsmacdonald's frying pan...**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter 7!**

**Lara Kingsley**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The first rays of moonlight were shining through the windows as I finally opened my eyes. My rest had been fretful, full of nightmares. As much as I wished to escape my dreams, my horrible dreams, I couldn't. I'm not normally someone who has lots of nightmares and whenever I have one I usually woke up, but not last night. No, last night was a series of nightmares, one after the other.

So what a relief it was to finally wake up, in Eric's arms. I was lying on my front, my naked breast nestled on Eric's side, his hands stroking my back.

"Good evening, lover..."

"Good evening... I..."

His eyes were a stormy blue, the same shade as when he was in high lust, but there was something in them that always made my heart break.

"I could have lost you" he said, his lips traveling from my forehead to my lips.

"I... I'm sorry I'm such a danger magnet."

His only answer was a kiss that curled my toes.

"You might be a danger magnet, min alskäre, but you're mine."

"Yours... And so are you."

He wrapped his arms around me, rolling us around. I was now straddling him. We quickly discarded our remaining clothes and I lowered myself on his Gracious Plenty. His hands gripped my hips as I rode him. Having him inside me, filling me in such a delicious way made me feel so alive. Last night I had been at death's door and right now I was thriving. We both shouted as we reached our release, me in English and Eric in what I figured was Old Norse.

"Wow... Is it always going to be like this?" I asked once I found my breath again.

"I hope so. I can't get enough of you, Sookie."

"Then I better get in shape" I laughed.

He smirked, stealing a kiss before sweeping me off toward the bathroom.

"You are in amazing shape, lover, you don't need to change anything."

Grabbing the body wash, I thoroughly washed away his perfect abs, my hands teasingly going lower to what had given me so much pleasure earlier.

"You always know what to say to me... Anyway, pretty soon we'll have an overactive toddler to run after... And as much as Pam seems reluctant to bond with him, I'm pretty sure she'll be sneaking him sweet whenever she has the chance just like she did with me! Beware the overactive toddler on a sugar rush!"

"I can't wait..." he said, kissing me softly. "Which reminds me, the construction team finished the nursery last night. Get that sweet ass of yours dressed so I can show it to you."

And with that he vamped away, leaving me high and dry. Well, high and wet. Sighing loudly, I dried myself before going to the walk-in. I put on a pink flowered dress and matched it with a soft beige cardigan. If I had been a vengeful woman I might have chosen something way more sexy and forbid Eric from touching me, but a vengeful woman I wasn't – at least most of the time.

I followed Eric's void to what used to be the famous blue bedroom and smiled at the door. Six green and brown squares held by soft tissue spelled Hunter's name. I slowly opened the door and tears filled my eyes. Eric was standing in the middle of the room, next to a wooden rocking horse.

"So, my Childe did a good job?"

I nodded through my tears. Gone were the blue walls, in their stead were soft beige ones complimented by chocolate brown furniture. A beautiful crib sat near the window. But my eyes were on the rocking chair that looked more like a comfortable armchair. Eric took my hand in his and sat me down, kneeling in front of me.

"I can't wait to watch you rock our Liten Jägare to sleep..."

Could that man – vampire, be more perfect? I cradled his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his.

"I love it, Eric. Pam did very good..."

Being here in what would be Hunter's room reminded me of the conversation I had with Gran the previous night before all the craziness happened.

"Eric, I... We need to talk about last night."

His expression became grave.

"I'll track down whoever did harm to you, lover."

"I don't doubt it, darling, but that's not what I wanted to talk about... Although we should. I don't know what happened. The car just stopped working and then as I was walking back to Bon Temps something or someone scratched my back, I... Did Doctor Ludwig know anything?"

He shook his head. "She texted me later, saying she would analyze the poison found in your wounds."

"Good. Now what I meant was that we need to talk about the future. Our future with Hunter. I... Gran and I talked last night and... As much as I want to be Hunter's Aunt Sookie and for you to be his Uncle Eric... It's not going to work, Eric."

"Not going to work? You changed your mind? You don't want us to take care of the little one? Or is it that you don't want me to help you take care of him?"

"What?! No! Eric... Don't doubt for a second that I love you and that I want you in my life, in Hunter's life. You just have to feel our Bond to know how much I love you..."

"Then what? What changed your mind? Did Adele say something..."

I smiled through my misty eyes. "What I meant, Eric, is that I don't want us to be Hunter's Aunt and Uncle. I want us to be his... his parents. I want us to be his mother and father."

I had expected the worst at my declaration, but not the reaction Eric had. He started laughing!

"You scared me, lover! That's all? You want us to be our Liten Jägare's mor (mother) and far (father)? You are talking about adoption, right?"

I nodded. "I know that right now it isn't legal here in Louisiana. I mean, apart from paying taxes, vampires barely have any rights in the States. But in Sweden? Vampire-Human adoption is already legal... I'm not saying we should move to Sweden tomorrow. We still have to locate Hadley and get her to give away her rights to Hunter..."

"This can be easily handled, lover."

"I know... I just... I wanted us to be on the same page. Gran reminded me that soon Hunter will start talking and that him calling us mommy and daddy is bound to happen. I wanted to be sure that if he called you dada out of the blue you wouldn't be... I don't know, surprised, worried... I know I'm not making any senses..."

He hushed me with a kiss, my favourite way to be shut up.

"I would be beyond honoured if our Liten Jägare was to call me dada... Although it will probably be the Swedish version."

It felt a little weird to be making out in a baby's nursery, but with Eric... Even in a cloistered convent surrounded by wrinkly old nuns I would want him. His hands were at the hem of my dress when I felt it, two minds – one smaller than the other, and a vampire's void, stopping in front of the house.

"Eric... I think Gran and Jessica are here."

He pouted – he freaking pouted!

"Do we really have to stop?" he asked, with lost puppy's eyes.

"Do you really want my Gran to find us fucking on the floor of our son's nursery?"

His reaction was priceless.

"Our son... Now I really have to fuck you senseless, min alskäre! But I'm thinking against the wall might be better than on the floor. Wouldn't want your perfect skin to have rug burns..."

I grabbed the back of his head, ready to plant the mother of all kisses on him...

"Sookie! Eric! We're here!" yelled Gran, from the foyer.

We both groaned before making ourselves presentable.

"Eric... Can we not tell Gran about last night? I wouldn't want to worry her..."

He smiled and nodded, understanding what I meant. Until we knew what or who at attacked me and why, no need to worry an old little woman. When we reached the top of the staircase, Eric vamped down and took Hunter from Gran's arms, leaving me alone.

"Hey! Not fair, mister! I don't have vamp's speed like you and I wanted to cuddle Hunter too!"

He vamped back to the top as Gran scolded him.

"Eric Northman! You'll make the baby sick!"

Putting the little one in my waiting arms he kissed his chubby cheek.

"I think min son (my son) rather liked his far vamp speeding him to his mor, Adele."

"Sweet Jesus, Shepherd of Judea!" exclaimed Gran. "You had the talk?"

I nodded as I walked down the stairs, Hunter snuggling on my boobs – he was like Eric in that way, he sure liked them, and Eric's hand on the small of my back.

"Yes, we did Gran. And it's something we both want."

Jessica frowned, not understanding what we were talking about.

"His far? His mor? Am I missing something?"

Eric smiled. "Far means father in Swedish, Jessica. And mor means mother. Sookie and I have decided that being Hunter's Aunt and Uncle wasn't enough."

"Oh my... Does it mean you'll be getting married? 'Cause I love wedding and I'm sure I could help you plan it and..."

"Slow down, Jess" I said, my heart racing. "We're only talking about a possible adoption... But even if the adoption is not in the near future, it doesn't make a difference. We don't need a piece of paper to tell us Hunter is our son. He just is. Just like you are a part of this family, sweetie."

"But what about a mar..."

"We have all the time in the world, Jessica" softly said Eric, kissing the top of her head. "Let's take it one step at a time, alright?"

"But if you plan to adopt Hunter, then you must want to get married! Don't you want to be Sookie's husband?"

I waited to see what Eric would say. Honestly I would gladly marry him tomorrow, but a part of me knew it was too soon. Although we had a long history together, our relationship was still very new. And Eric and I did have all the time in the world. He was a vampire, almost immortal if you forgot that sun and stake could kill him, and I was a human-fairy hybrid. Soon my aging would slow and with regular feeding of vampire blood I could very well stay young for a while if not ever. This reminded me that I would need to talk with Doctor Ludwig about it all. Although Daddy had been pretty close to sixty when he passed away last February, he didn't look a day over 35. And Jason, being near thirty, still looked the same as he did at 20. Would it be the same for me? And Jason and Daddy hadn't been taking vampire's blood as I was...

"Sookie?" asked Gran, bringing me back to reality.

"Eric is right, Jessica. We have all the time in the world. And right now I also don't need a piece of paper to tell me I'm Eric and he's mine..."

"And there are other ways than a Human marriage, Jessica" added Eric. "Vampires have their own commitment ceremony, more powerful than human marriage... I will explain it all in due time. Now, ladies, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you."

He kissed us all before taking Hunter in his arms, whispering in Old Norse. Old Norse and Swedish being quite similar, I caught something about being the man of the house while he was gone.

"Lover, I'll be at Fangtasia if you need me..."

The moment he passed the door, Jessica started squealing.

"Can I be a bridesmaid? Please, I promise to be extra good if only..."

"Relax, Jessica! Don't start looking at bridesmaid's dress right away! And please, don't tell Pam, she would go overboard in no time! Just see what she did with the nursery and everything..."

"Speaking of the nursery, is it done?" asked Gran.

Just as me, both Gran and Jessica were in awe at the beautiful room Pam had set up for Hunter. The little one yawned and soon drifted to sleep. Careful not to wake him, I set him in his crib, taking the baby monitor as we went back to the living room.

"So... Have was your evening? You went to Merlotte's, right?"

"Yes, we did. And what a commotion we made, didn't we Jessica? People flocked to our table asking about my two companions! Jessica had quite the success."

"You're exaggerating, Gran! I didn't... People were more interested in Hunter, Sookie."

Gran shook her head. "What about Hoyt, sweetie? He seemed quite eager to get to know you better..."

"He seemed too eager, Gran... He did ask me out, but... I told him I would need to ask my... well, that I would need to ask Eric. As if he would allow me to date and a human... "

"Jessica, Eric won't forbid you to date, he just won't let you date anybody, right Sookie?"

I nodded in agreemement.

"Anyway... I'm not interested in Hoyt in that way. I mean he's nice and all, but he's not..."

"He's not Jason?"

The young girl gasped. "What? No! I... I'm not... Ah... Yeah, he's not Jason. I know it's stupid, I mean, Jason is so... so..."

"Macho? Stubborn?"

"Sookie! You're brother is none of those thing! Well, he is stubborn, but it's a Stackhouse's trait."

"Jason is so... perfect, Sookie. What would he see in a girl like me? I'm just a teenage baby vamp and he's so wonderful!"

Gran sighed before reassuring the baby vamp. I was getting ready to boil water for tea when my cell phone rang Eric's personalized ringtone.

"Hey, handsome, miss me already?"

"_Sookie... You need to come to Fangtasia"_ he said, gravely.

"What's the matter?"

"_I received a call from Dallas... It's not good, lover."_

It was too good to be true...

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note: **

**So sorry for the wait, dear readers. RL got in the way, again. But it's a good thing. As I said earlier this year (wow, we're almost halfway through 2014 already!) I got a new job in a big hotel. When I started, my boss told me he couldn't guarantee me a specific amount of work hours since it's a unionized hotel and being the last one on the payroll means that I'm the last one to get hours. Well I've been there for 3 months now and I've never worked less than 30 hours. And now I received some pretty good news: I've been offered the weekend night auditor job! Night audit, for those unfamiliar with the hospitality industry, is the graveyard shift. You work from 11PM to 7AM, do the accounting for the day then you just have to wait for the shift to be over. So my already almost non-existent social life might suffer a little, but in order to get ready for my weekend shifts I'll have to stay up on Thursday night which will give me more time to write! It's a win-win: I get 16 hours a week confirmed at work and I get to write more ;)**

**Anyway, some very cleaver ladies decided to create the TB/SVM Fanfic Awards (youwantbloodawards dot wordpress dot com.) Check their wordpress page, nomination start on May 1st – so in a couple of minutes. If you feel my fics deserve to be nominate is one of their categories, well… I think I've already told you that I'm always doubting myself about my writing. I don't think it will ever stop, but your amazing review and comments sure make a difference.**

**So without further ado, I'm giving you Chapter 8 of Dead Briefs Tome 2. Don't worry, Dallas is coming real soon ;)**

**_Lara Kingsley_**

**PS If you checked the Your Presence Still Lingers Here page, you might have see that I got myself a brand new banner for the fic, courtesy of the fabulous Sephrenia. By the way, on the TB/SVM Fanfic Awards there's a category for Best Artist – Banners/Fanart. We should totally nominate her! Lara K**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

As much as I tried to get Gran to stay home with Hunter, she wouldn't change her mind. It broke my heart to take Hunter out of his crib, he looked so peaceful. Luckily he didn't even stir as I put a black leather jacket on his simple black rompers. He looked so damn cute.

"Let's go" I said as I buckled the baby in Gran's car.

The trip to the club was quiet. Eric only said he had received a call from Dallas and that it wasn't good. Not knowing was killing me. Was it Godric? Jason? Both of them? I finally relaxed once we reached Fangtasia. That's when Hunter opened his eyes and started to cry.

"Hush, sweet pea… Mommy's here…"

I unbuckled him and soothed him against my heart. His wailing stopped and he grabbed a strand of my hair, putting it to his cheek.

"That's a good boy. Daddy's going to be so proud of you…"

I was brought back to reality by Gran wiping her eyes.

"Gran… Please!"

"What?" she asked opening her car door and making her way to the bar entrance.

I sighed and left the car, thanking Jessica as she helped me with the baby by grabbing the diapers bag. I might not be able to read vampire's minds, but I sure was an expert at reading body language. Jessica seemed tense suddenly and I took her hand in mine, squeezing it.

"Hey, the bar is closed, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about…"

She smiled, shyly. "I know, but…"

"What are you waiting for, girls? Eric and Pamela are waiting for us!"

And waiting they were. Eric was sitting on his throne, scrolling through his phone while Pam was standing by the bar, drinking a glass of blood.

"Lover…" said Eric, vamping toward me.

I smiled as his lips pressed against Hunter's forehead.

"Aren't you handsome, min son? You look just like your far…"

"Stop, Eric, or the old woman will leak, and you know how much Pam hates leaking human!"

"No need, Sookie, she's already leaking" said Pam, handing Gran a tissue.

"Pish posh, Pamela! First there was the unveiling of that beautiful nursery you had set up for Hunter… Which reminds me, Sookie don't you have something to tell Pamela?"

I smiled. "Thank you, Pam. You did a great job on that nursery. I really love it."

"Of course I did good, Sookie! Eric might have forbid me to do the whole decoration of his house, but I've had years and years of practice."

"Now, which one of my boy will I have to spank?" asked Gran, sitting at one of the booth. "'Cause I imagine that the call you received, Eric dear, is about one of them…"

Eric tensed before joining Gran, still holding Hunter.

"It's actually about both of them… I've received a call from Isabel, one of Godric's second. Godric has gone missing. Nobody knows where he is and he closed our Maker-Childe's bond."

"What about Jason?" asked Jessica. "Ain't he supposed to be in Dallas?"

Eric nodded. "Yes… But according to Isabel… She never saw him, didn't even know he was in the state."

I frowned. "But Godric sent email… Wait a second…"

I took out my phone and dialed Jason's number. It didn't even ring and went directly to voicemail.

"_Hey, you've reached Jason Stackhouse, but I can't take your call at the moment. Please leave your number and…"_

"Voicemail…" I groaned. "What do we do now?"

"Well the next step would be to go to Dallas… I have to settle some things here first, but I'll be leaving tomorrow night…"

"Good, I'll take the jet and be there before you…"

"I'm going to Dallas alone, lover… What about our Liten Jagäre? You have to stay…"

"This isn't the Dark Ages, Eric. I know that women when you were human tended to stay home with the kids, but I'm a twenty first century woman. Gran and I will go to Dallas tomorrow morning with Hunter and you will join us later. Gran can take care of Hunter while I…"

"Lover…"

"If you're planning on going to Dallas, then I'm staying here!" said Pam. "Apart from being Godric's home, Texas has no appeal to me. And you should take the baby vamp with you. Sorry Jessica, but I can't take care of you and do my job here…"

She was suddenly interrupted by loud banging on the door.

"We're closed!" she yelled. "Come back later!"

The banging didn't stop and, with one look from Eric, Pam reluctantly went to opened it.

"Well, well, well… Look what the cat dragged in! What the fuck do you want, Compton?"

"Pamela, language!"

Eric, still holding the baby, vamped to the entrance, looking quite lethal.

"Do you have a sixth sense, Compton? One that makes you appears whenever you're not wanted?"

Compton's eyes went from Eric and the baby, to Gran, to Jessica, to me.

"I… I was coming about the report I need to send to… you know, to New Orleans."

"You don't need to be secretive, Mr. Compton. Sookie and I know about your monarch" explained Gran.

"Well… In that case… Who's the child?"

Pam smirked. "Allow me to present to you my little brother, Compton. Hunter, this sad excuse of a vampire is Bill Compton. You'll soon learn that he is nothing like your far…"

"Brother?! What is the meaning of all that?"

Eric sighed loudly. "All you need to know, Compton, is that min Liten Jagäre is mine and Sookie's child."

"You… But… Vampire can't procreate in that way!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Ever heard of sperm donor and surrogate, Compton? My lover wanted a child and so did I. Hunter is the result of that."

In a way Eric was telling the truth. Hadley had been nothing but a surrogate and whoever was the father, a sperm donor.

"It's quite… unorthodox for a vampire to want to adopt a human child… But then again, nothing about you and your pet is typical."

"Sookie is NOT a pet, Compton! You best remember it. Now that your curiosity is quenched, you will excuse yourself and…"

"In a hurry to get rid of me, Northman?"

I could feel Eric's impatience rising by the second.

"After your many years spent at the Queen's court I would have thought you would have learned about your place, Compton. I am the Sheriff of this Area and you are the Area Investigator, I still don't understand why the Queen bestowed such a position to a vampire like you. And as your Sheriff, you owe me respect and obedience."

"I would never… I…"

"How about you leave? I'll be out of State for some time, we should reschedule our meeting. Unless you want to see about it with Pamela…"

The smirk on Pam's face was enough to send a chill down Compton's spine.

"Of course I can wait until you come back…"

"Well then Eric will call you back as soon as we come back from Dallas" said Gran.

"Dallas? You're all going to Dallas?"

"We are going to go looking for the Sheriff and Jason who have gone missing" eagerly said Jessica. "Oops…I'm sorry…"

Gran was quick to reassure the young girl that she didn't commit a serious offense.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, sweetheart. We have nothing to hide to Mr. Compton."

"The Dallas' Sheriff has gone missing? But what does this have to do with your grandson?"

"It's no secret that the Stackhouse law firm caters to Supes" explained Eric, as he went to sit on his throne. "Godric, the Area 9 Sheriff, also happen to be one of their clients. Jason was doing some work for him…"

"Have you contacted the King of Texas? The AVL? Really they must have more resources than…"

"We all know that the King of Texas is nothing but a slouch. His Sheriffs do all the work while he collects the money and spend it in casino. As for the AVL… Nan Flanagan is more interested in raising funds than to search for a missing vampire and his lawyer."

"If you see it this way… Well, I wish you well on your inquiry."

"Thank you, Mr. Compton" I said, a little uncomfortable.

The former antebellum gentleman-farmer prepared to leave, but stopped midway.

"I hope you recovered from last night, Soo… Miss Stackhouse. You had Northman quite worry…"

Shit… Couldn't that bastard keep his trap shut?

"What do you mean, recover?" asked Gran. "Sookie? Eric? Care to explain?"

I bit my lower lip and looked at Eric. He was growling at Compton and I was sure he was picturing ways to torture him.

"Sookie had a little… accident, last night, Adele" explained Eric. "But Doctor Ludwig took care of it."

"You had to call Patricia? Then it must have been serious… Mr. Compton, will you tell me what exactly happened since my grandchildren don't seem to want to tell me."

Compton seemed surprised of Gran calling Eric her grandchild.

"Your granddaughter was attacked last night…"

I rolled my eyes.

"You don't need to worry, Gran. Eric found me in time and Doctor Ludwig was able to heal me. My back was scratched, probably by an animal…"

"If you say so…"

I did something horrible, then. I listened to Gran's thoughts.

"_They are lying to me… Eric always has this twitch whenever he's hiding something… I better call Patricia, she'll tell me…"_

"Now, we have some planning to do, Compton, so if you'll excuse us…"

"Sure… Sheriff, I'll be in touch. Pam, Miss Stackhouse, Mrs. Stackhouse… Jessica…"

And with that he was gone.

"Pam, you will escort Adele and Jessica back to Bon Temps. I'll arrange for a travelling coffin to be sent before dawn and for a limo to pick you up tomorrow morning before picking up Sookie and Hunter. You will take the company jet to Dallas and a car will take you to the Carmilla Hotel, it's one of the best vampire hotels in Texas. I'll join you later…"

"Alright, then… Jessica, Pamela, I'm suddenly feeling quite tired and we have to prepare for the trip."

"If you think I'll dogsit that little monster of yours, Gran…"

"Freyja ain't a monster, Pam!" said Jessica.

"She is! She tried to eat my new Vuitton handbag!"

"In Freyja's defense, Pamela, that handbag was God-awful! With all those fringes it was bound to happen. Anyway I'll ask either Lafayette or Tara to look after her."

Gran quickly kissed us goodbye before following Jess and Pam to the exit. I let out a deep sigh before burying myself in Eric's side.

"She won't let this die quietly, you know? She'll call Doctor Ludwig, invite her for tea and get her to tell her everything…"

"At least, while you're in Dallas she won't… Let's get home, lover."

We left my car at Fangtasia, Eric would pick it up the next evening before leaving for Dallas. Since the Vette wouldn't seat three, let alone allow us to put a baby car seat, we flew Air Eric back to the house. I was a little worried about Hunter flying for the first time, but the little one seemed to like it. He even squealed with delight as he was nestled between Eric and I!

We landed in front of the house and went directly to the nursery. As soon as his head hit the mattress, Hunter was asleep. Eric and I reluctantly retreated to our room. As I got myself ready for bed, Eric took his laptop and settled on the bed.

"You should try to sleep, lover. You have a long day ahead of you."

I sighed. "But I want to spend as much time as I can with you…"

He kissed away my pout as I circled his waist. I closed my eyes and was a goner. I don't know how long I slept, but I hated the way I woke up. I was alone in the big California bed. It took me a second to get my bearing. Eric's laptop was sitting on the bedside table, but my Viking was nowhere in sight. I went to check on Hunter and smiled at the view offered to me. Eric was sitting in the rocking chair, softly talking to the small baby as he fed him a bottle.

"You'll get to meet your Uncle Godric and your Uncle Jason… They will both love you, min Liten Jägare. But you have to be good to your mor and your mormor (maternal grandmother). Far is going to miss you, min son."

With tears in my eyes, I went back to the bedroom, letting the two men of my life enjoy their father-son bonding time.

**TBC**


End file.
